Pencil of the magazine type



may 11 1926.

H. A. VAIL PENCIL OF THE MAGAZINE TYPE Filed July 5, 1924 INVENTOR, krzry Vzz,

ATTORNEY Patented May 11,

units stares PACE'MT OFFICE.

HENRY A. VAIL, 0F SPRINGFIELD, IMASSACHUSETTS.

PENCIL OF THE MAGAZINE TYPE.

Application filed J'u1y 3,

This invention relates to ii'npro-vements in pencils, and, particularly to pencils of the magazine type in which a plurality of pockets are employed to receive loads of different degrees of hardness. Such pencils are very useful to a. draftsman where it is often necessary to use several pencils for single piece of work and of different degrees of hardness.

An object of the present invention is to provide the barrel or holder member with a plurality of receptacles to receive such leads and with suitable means, or devices to permit the insertion and removal of the leads, as required; such devices bemg so construct'ed to permit one lead only at a time to be used.

Broadly, my invention comprises a barrel or holder part in which are located a plurality of tubular members or receptacles in each one of which a lead, or leads, of different degrees of hardness is placed. Suitable means for closingall of the tubular members, if desired, or, to permit one lead only to be inserted or removed is provided; such means being operable from the upper outer end of the pencil. An indeXor indicating device is provided for the purpose of designating the different pockets or re ceptacles which contains the lead of a ccrtain hardness as for example; an H, 2H, or 31-1 lead. Further objects and nature of the invention will appear in the body of the specification and will be particularlypointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view on a plane passing through the axis of the pencil showing two of the lead receiving. tubular receptacles; the closure device for the receptacles and its operating parton the outer upper end of the pencil.

Fig. 2 is an outside elevational view, illustrating the indicating device.

Fig. 8 is atransverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the lead receiving receptacles which are formed integral with the body part, or casing, of the pencil.

Fig. t is a transverse sectional view on the line 4 l of Fig. 1 showing the funnel shaped member for closing or opening the 1924. Serial No. 723,903.

lower ends of the lead receiving receptacles or compartments to permitany one of the compartments to be opened or closed, or, all of them to be closed, and

Fig. 5 's a detail view of the indicating device looking in the direction of the arrows on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

.lteferring to the drawings in detail:

1 designates the metal barrel part of the pencil which is of the usual length. 2is a reduced portion on which is secured the metal extension member 3 by means of the threads as shown, or if desired, it may be secured by brazing or any other well known way. 4c is the inclined portion and 5 is a threaded portion for receiving the tapered rotatable part 6, which, when it is threaded onto the part 5 causes the slitted tubular end 7 to be pinched tightly down ontothe lead 8, or, in other words, the parts 6 and 7 operate as a clutch for retainingthe lead in different positions of adjustment, as readily understood.

Referring now to my particular improvement. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14' designate tubular members which are preferably formed as an integral vpart of the barrel 1 and preferably by the die casting method. These members are all of the same length, as shown, their upper ends being flush with the upper end 15 of the barrel 1, and their lower ends being in the same transverse plane as indicated by the line 16, 17 designates a rotatable knob to which is attached the rod or shaft 18 by means of the threads 19. The lower end of the rod. is threaded into a cylindrical shaped member 20 that is formed with a fiat surface at its upper end which engages the lower outlet. ends of the tubular lead receiving members 9 to 1a in elusive. The other end of the member 20 is formed with a funnel shaped recess 21, its

.inner or upper end terminates in the opening 22 which is concentric with the lower ends of thelead receiving tubular members,

and this opening is adapted to register with adjusted positions a spring actuated ball 22 is provided which is adapted to partially enter the upper ends of any one of the lead receiving tubular members 9 to 14 inclusive.

For the purpose of readily indicating to the user of the pencil the different kinds of leads that are located in the various tubular members the rotatable knob 17 is provided with an arrow 23, which, when the ball 22 is seated in one of the tubular members points to a letter or character on one of the flat sides of the barrel, as shown in Fig. 2, to the letter H which indicates a lead of this degree of hardness. Other letters, or characters are placed on the other sides of the barrel as shown in Fig. 5 namely; 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H, and the word Close to indicate that'all of the receptacles are closed. In operation, when the knob 17 is rotated, the opening 22 in the member 20 will register with the lower end of one of the lead receiving tubular members, as shown in Fig. i it is registering with the tubular member 12 which would permit the lead 8 therein to pass out of the tube and down into the lower end of the pencil as shown in Fig. 1, and when the clutch parts 6 and 7 are operated the lead may be gripped or released. VVhen released the lead may be returned to its tubular member by simply holding the pencil in an inverted position. hen it is desired to use a different lead the knob 17 is rotated until the arrow 28 points to the letter designating the lead required. The opening 22 will now register with the tubular member in which that lead is located, then, by tilting the pencil it will pass downward into the clutch members 6 and 7 All of the lead receiving tubular members may be closed by turning the knob 17 so as to bring the arrow 23 to the word Close when the ball 22 will enter the tubular member which does not contain a lead. It is of course, obvious that one of the tubes does not contain a lead and when the opening 22 registers with that tube all of the others are closed. It is also obvious that all of the compartments are closed except the one in use.

hat I claim is:

1. A pencil of the magazine type having a plurality of lead receiving compartments, means for closing all of the compartments except the one from which a lead is to be used, and means cooperating withthc means to indicate that compartment, the closure means comprising a rotatable knob, a rod attached thereto, and a rotatable member located at the outlet ends of the compartments and attached to the rod.

2. A pencil of the kind described comprising a casing, a plurality of compartments therein which are formed as an integral part of the casing, means for closing the ends of the compartments consisting of rotatable members located at their opposite ends, and means for connecting the members together and a releasable retaining device for positioning the members relative to the compartment.

3. A pencil of the kind described comprisinga casing, a plurality of compartments therein which are formed as an integral part of the casing, means for closing the ends of the compartments consisting of rotatable members located at their opposite ends, and means for connecting the members together and a releasable retaining device "for positioning the members relative to the compartment, said device comprising a spring actuated member which engages the ends of the compartments.

4. In a magazine pencil construction, the combination, a casing, .a plurality of fixed lead receiving compartments therein and formed as a part of the casing, a rotatable device for permitting the insertion of a lead in or removal from each compartment and comprising a member formed with an opening therethrough, the opening being conical shaped information to permit the leads to readily pass through the opening when a lead is inserted in any one of the compartments as described, and means for operating the member for registering its opening with any one of the fixed compartments.

A pencil construction comprising a casing, a plurality of fixed lead receiving compartments therein, a device for closing the compartments consisting of a rotatable member which is located at the inner ends of the leads and which is formed with an opening which tapers towards the delivery ends of the compartments, means for rotating the member to bring the small end of the tapered opening into registration with each of the hired compartments, means for releasably retaining the members in such registration comprising a rotatable cap having a recess therein, a spring in the recess, a ball in the recess and normally moved forward by the spring, into the upper ends of the lead receiving compartments in a step-by-step manner as the cap is located, the ball being of greater diameter than the diameters of the said compartments.

HENRY A. VAIL. 

